Overview: Academy Award® winner Diane Keaton, Academy Award® nominee Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes are all in for the crime of their lives! Deep inside the most secure bank in America, three desperate women from very different worlds cook up the most unlikely heist of the century: Smuggle out millions of dollars in worn-out currency headed for a Federal Reserve shredder every day. Taking the cash is going to be easy but getting away with it will be insane!

DVD Verdict: Bridget Cardigan (Diane Keaton) is beyond mad. Her husband Don (Ted Danson) lost his job when a multinational corporate buyout made him redundant. Now, their home is going up for sale. They're 280 thousand dollars in debt. Don's on the couch unable to think of anything to do. And she's got to get a job. And as one of the personnel managers she visits states, "People of your age in the workplace are a real pain..."

Her former maid tells her she can clean up at the Federal Reserve Bank--as long as she doesn't have a criminal record. Pretty soon after crafty Bridget is hired as a cleaning lady, she realizes how simple it would be to steal the old money that was being taken out of circulation--and it really wouldn't be theft, it would be 'recycling.'

In order to do this, she needs two cohorts. One who works in the transportation of carts of money and the other who works at the money shredder. Nina Brewster (Queen Latifah), a single Mom, is her choice for the shredder. Nina's not interested, til Bridget shows her a use for the money - getting her two young sons a better education.

They both look for the transporter and choose Jackie Truman (Katie Holmes), a happy-go-lucky girl who dances around listening to music all the time. They worry about the tracks on her arms--not realizing she's a Type I Diabetic. Pretty soon, the three of them are rolling in the dough. Of course, problems arise. Don isn't too fond of the idea of his wife stealing to support them. Nina's forcing them to not spend the money, etc.

The complications of dealing with bagloads of illicit money are fascinating. It's also interesting to see the three different types of criminals functioning: Bridget's a grasping schemer, Nina's only doing what she's doing to give her kids a better life, and Jackie's just having fun. But all of them surprise you!

Probably the most interesting aspects of this film are at the end. No spoilers here, but that's what my husband and I talked about most and that's what I still think about. "Mad Money" is a fun afternoon's entertainment and if you like any of the principal actors, you'll probably have a good time viewing. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Commentary by Director Callie Khouri
Makin' Money: Behind-The-Scenes of Mad Money
Theatrical Traler